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Strictly speaking, Park Moondae’s dance wasn’t that admirable. It would be good to point out that if he participated in a group dance, It wouldn’t particularly stand out.
But, that also meant that it gave off enough pleasure to the people watching that it had the potential to be a part of a group.
‘Even if It’s just the debut song right now…’
He didn’t think he would be too pushed out by the others. It was an incredible development!
The choreographer felt slightly agitated at the unexpected situation, but soon calmed down.
‘You can’t suddenly have a talent you didn’t have in two days.’
So, if he had used his brain a little, he would have probably tried to make an impact at the beginning for the first introduction.
‘He will go back to being off rhythm in a bit…’
“…”
But he didn’t go back.
Park Moondae stayed at the same level he started in as he entered the chorus part.
No, on the contrary he was able to control his speed better in the chorus.
Unlike most of the beginner level participants he didn’t flinch his limbs. It didn’t roughly crush around the joints, but it definitely caught the angle.
-The one who shines on this stage today… is me!
In addition, he sang honestly without missing or omitting a single part of the song.
The technique was lacking, but it was clean and resonant, without any deviants or flats.
Next to the choreographer, the judge Mudi lightly tapped on the pen.
It looked like she was doing it without realising which meant she probably liked the performance a lot.
Park Moondae was the best among the participants so far, even though his ears were not well-versed in vocals.
-Look, at this moment… I shine the brightest!
No, it was very great.
A clear sound that echoed throughout the ears.
‘How much effort did the outsider have to put in to keep singing like that while keeping up with the dance?’
The choreographer casually thought about it.
He treated those who were ‘good, promising, and had good potential’ with clear distinction from those who didn’t.
And now in the choreographer’s own inner world Park Moondae’s rating which was low because of his lack of talent in dancing had been re-adjusted.
‘Since his strength is vocals he has been focusing more on learning the choreography so he can dance more stably.’
However, the sense of discomfort did not go away.
‘…It’s hard to suddenly become a dancer in two days without a reason.’
In the meantime, Park Moondae finished the song without losing his tempo and strength until the end of the second verse.
The seats of the judges were silent.
Apart from his doubts he suddenly felt a sense of positivity on his head.
It was praise-worthy.
“Haa-ha, thank you.”
Immediately after the song was over, Park Moondae felt so hot, he seemed to have exhausted his stamina and was breathing heavily.
Instead of the brazenness of the first evaluation where he boldly selected songs without a change in expression, he had a face full of enthusiasm.
Ah… A face that makes it feel like he had done his best.
Such a gap made the viewer feel like crying for no reason.
Still, next to the choreographer, the look in Mudi’s eyes made it seem like she was ready to pour out compliments.
The choreographer guessed that the other judges might do the same though perhaps to a lesser extent.
However, there was no one who could bring this impact on the air as much as he did. Because he was the one who changed the dance class within half a month.
So, the choreographer deliberately turned a blind eye to the staff’s tacit perception to give Young-rin the first evaluation.
He began by opening his mouth to the microphone.
“Moondae.”
“Haaa… yes.”
“Good job.”
“…”
It was a simple compliment yet certain.
Instead of answering, Park Moondae smiled.
It was a smile that gave him the image of being mischievous unlike the silent participant he used to be for half a month.
***
As expected, a good twist won the favor.
There was no way a formula like this wouldn’t work on an idol survival program.
Even though I was out of breath and felt as if my heart was going to jump out of my throat, I was also relieved and at ease.
There was a good reaction coming from the judges.
“Oh, my God, that was so admirable.”
“Moondae-ssi, today you did nothing wrong~”
“You did a great job.”
It felt like a step further away from sudden death.
‘As expected, distributing all 3 points I had obtained right before the shooting was a great idea.’
Currently the dance was at C.
To be honest, the feeling of leveling up felt more impactful compared to how it was when I leveled up Vocals.
It felt like I instantly learned that my body couldn’t follow me even if I knew it with my head.
The sensation of suddenly being able to use the muscles I couldn’t use was clear throughout my body.
It was to the point where I felt a sense of pleasure.
Perhaps this was similar to intermediate class participants even if they can’t go to the advanced level.
I focused on memorising the song without sleeping at all in the first week, so I was proficient enough to just be able to perform it as I thought of it.
If we just limit it to this song, it might be better than most others in the intermediate dance class.
‘I blew it all at once without the intermediate process.’
If it doesn’t get edited out, I would pass the first round of elimination.
It seems that I was progressing well towards survival step by step.
And there were also the expected questions.
“By the way, Moondae, what the hell did you do for the two days?”
In response to the choreographer’s question I could see judge Mudi mouthing back “Why?’.
The choreographer added an explanation as if to answer it.
“You can dance all of a sudden. It’s been 2 days since we saw each other.”
“That’s…”
I caught my breath and deliberately brushed my hair in a daze. Making me seem embarrassed.
“I asked a good friend.”
“A good friend?”
“It’s Seon Ahyun.”
In other words, a smoke screen.
I couldn’t say I leveled up using the status window, so instead I tried to move them emotionally.
And perfectly enough my roommate, Seon Ahyun, was part of the advanced dance class.
It wasn’t uncommon for people my age to get practical advice from their peers, so since it wasn’t unheard of I tried it once.
-Do you have time?
-W-What do you need me for?
-uh. I’m sorry, but in case a situation happens, can you do this for me…
-Y-yes! I can!
-…Well, alright.
In addition, even if I was just lucky Seon Ahyun taught me too hard. It would have been sad if I couldn’t grow.
I felt a little embarrassed because he taught me passionately for 2 hours by splitting information about every move.
I was just trying to fit in…
Anyways, the image of Seon Ahyun helping an ordinary participant who can’t grasp key points out wouldn’t hurt his image. So it wasn’t too bad.
Let’s make things a little more intense. Let’s add some more useless words.
“…Ahyun is very kind.”
“Hey, are you saying I’m not kind then?”
The choreographer immediately poked in.
But his face was full of playfulness with a smirk .
I felt like it had gone well. There was a warm atmosphere between the judges.
“Do you remember what I said during the first evaluation?”
Young-rin of ‘Saint-U’ softly asked. It didn’t seem like a real question, but instead a sentence that opened a conversation.
“I’m not good at dancing at all, so you said the mission would be too much.”
Young-rin smiled faintly.
“It seems I said something wrong. I think Park Moondae-ssi can get through it even if it’s too much.”
“Thank you.”
“Today, I really enjoyed it. Next time I hope you have more time to move.”
“I’ll try to do that.”
There was no way that I would be able to suddenly relax just with those words, but the audition program was the one that I had to answer for sure. It was kind of fun.
Anyway, it was a success. I was well received and reasonably anticipated by the following judges.
The great has got to be gold.
***
Like other idol audition programs, the theme song was the first thing revealed to the public in ‘Idol Joint-Stock Company’.
And of course, the amount of theme songs went to those who are good at it. It was this grade that determined the standard of “good participant.”
As you might have guessed from the class division badge, the top, middle, and bottom ranks were divided in the order of gold, silver, and bronze.
“The participants who don’t meet the condition for bronze will be… Ejected!”
They had made that announcement every season, but it has never been realized, so you didn’t have to worry about it.
And there was one more grade above the three categories.
“Idol Joint-Stock Company, back with a brand new look, who will be the one to receive the platinum rating that represents this re-listed season?”
It was the platinum grade.
On the Internet, this rating was used as a meme using all sorts of metaphors, from multi-level games to games to asking after parents.
To be honest, I was a little relieved that the production team’s naming sense didn’t go as far as diamond.
In any case, the other participants were all stiffened up waiting for the MC’s announcement.
In front of each participant was a colorful metal box, which contained a badge symbolizing the grade.
I had an idea because I had already guessed the rating.
Silver was from ranks 26, but by roughly looking at the status window, I was now in the top 25. And that wasn’t enough to be in the platinum class with top 10. So it was gold.
“Participants, please open the rating box!”
I opened the box, holding on to my expression not to show any rudeness.
And stiffened.
Inside the box was a gleaming platinum badge with a holographic reflection.
It was the platinum grade badge.
“…”
As I stiffened, Seon Ahyun, who was holding up his gold badge from the side, tilted his head. And he was filled with astonishment.
“U-u-uwa Uwaa!”
“What is it? …huh, great!! Wow, that’s great!!”
Similarly, the (former) 20th place Lee Sejin, who was holding a gold badge, looked inside my box and shouted.
Then he slapped me on the back and continued shouting.
“You’re amazing! Platinum!!”
I didn’t know since when we were considered close enough to do this.
Didn’t you just come and say hello? He did it first so I was reluctant.
After a deep breath, I picked up the badge from the box.
Other participants seem to think that I am thrilled, but in fact, my mind felt complicated.
‘Why Platinum?’
I knew that about two or three participants every season would receive a platinum rating based on their growth, instead of skills.
But I didn’t think I was that bad.
And then I realized.
‘…the rating order!’
Because of that, the number of people who will jump out of the middle and lower ranks has decreased. So relatively I stood out.
I was well-acquainted with the dance thanks to regression and all-nighter practice, so I think it was better than the status windows of others in the same level class.
“…hmm.”
I rolled the badge out of my hand.
I was sure I had impressed them, but somehow the aftertaste was uncomfortable.
‘I think I’ll cause a lot of trouble if I do this wrong.’
I didn’t know what kind of editing would be included if I made a single mistake in the next evaluation. In the first season, a participant was beaten down using similar routes.
No, come to think of it, there was nothing to go to the next evaluation. If I get a platinum rating right now, even if the editorial point was just slightly off, I would be slaughtered as much as possible.
Choi Wongil, who was currently staring at me, would be a good prey for an interview like ‘Honestly, I didn’t completely understand’.
But it would be crazy to create tea by showing that you don’t like it here.
‘I can’t help it.’
I slowly picked up my badge and put it on my body. As I turned my head, I saw the other participants that wore the platinum badges.
As expected, the 1st and 2nd places in the first evaluation were both Platinum. In addition, most of the people who sat on the sofa received platinum again.
The top 10 players seemed to have dug in through the cracks of some of the participants who had fallen into gold.
I was the only one in the top 20. Damn it.
‘There’s going to be a lot of focus.’
…No, let’s think positively. It’s actually a good thing.
‘That’ll be a lot of footage.’
It was a battle for number of footage until the stage fancam was released anyway.
I would have to avoid being eliminated unconditionally in the beginning, so I could approach my goal of ‘debut within a year’.
‘All I have to do is not be crazily disliked here.’
I made a firm commitment. Let’s cut down on the number of things that would possibly get me in trouble.
Level up like crazy and put everything to Dance and Vocals.
“Platinum-rated contestants, please come up to the stage first!”
…and for now, let’s avoid the participants who have Grade A stats on Dance for the theme song stage.
If we were compared, there would be no chance.